Disaster Barter Items - Tangibles - Water

In any disaster there are going to be numerous items that will have value as barter items. Probably the most essential item will be the one item for which there is always a universal need during a disater. That one item is water! No one will survive very long without it!

Water for drinking, cooking, and sanitation purposes will be in demand by everyone. The very fact that one of the first parts of any infrastructure to fail during a disaster or emergency situation is the water supply. Water will be more valuable than cash in type of situation. The probability of adequate supplies of water not being able to reach all the victims of a storm or disater will most assuredly guqrantee a demand for water.

People will need water for almost everything. Too many people take water and its avaiability for granted. During a disaster it will not be there and this is when the panic will start.

Anything related to water and its use will also have barter value. Items that require water to achieve their intended purpose will be needed by most everyone. A partial list of water and its associated use items follows.

1. Water for drinking (bottled, gallon jugs, etc.)
2. Water for food preservation (ICE)
3. Water for cooking and meal preparation
4. Water for sanitation and hygiene
5. Water filters of any type (both homemade and commercial varieties)
6. Water purification chemicals (bleach, calcium hypochlorite, etc.)
7. Water storage containers
8. Portable showers
9. Items that could be used to boil water to create safe drinking water.
10. The necessary ingredients to make electrolyte replacement beverages or ready made commercial re-hydration drinks.

In a disater situation, having water and items for its associated use will give you a strong bartering position which will give you the means to obtain those items you may be lacking in your own preparations.

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker